‘Writing a good biography not easy’

Aarthi Ramachandran has been tracking Rahul Gandhi’s political journey right from the beginning, but Decoding Rahul Gandhi was definitely not an easy book to write. Her subject refused to cooperate, and was inaccessible despite many attempts. Yet, the author’s debut book, written using the material she gathered over her years covering the Congress party, his public statements, several interviews with Congress leaders, party workers, and people associated with Rahul Gandhi directly or indirectly, is lucid and insightful. She tells DNA via email how she pieced together the man.

How did you come to write Decoding Rahul Gandhi?
I began covering the Congress party as a beat around the same time Rahul Gandhi made an entry into politics. Given his importance in the Congress hierarchy, it made sense to track his political progress fairly closely. I had written several pieces on Rahul. It struck me that there’s a good story to be told here about an extremely reclusive young man who could one day be the PM. I had a chance one-on-one meeting with Rahul. This was the time when much of Rahul’s rhetoric revolved around finding solutions for urban migration and urban deprivation. I had written to him as a private citizen, putting aside my journalistic skepticism, urging him to do something about the issue of child beggars in Delhi. Oddly enough, his office wrote back, saying he’d like to discuss the issue with me. I found him to be well-intentioned, yet somewhat confused about his role in politics. He kept telling me that he needed to focus on fewer things.

What was most difficult about it?
The complete lack of co-operation from the protagonist of my book. There is very little verifiable information about the smallest of things such as his educational qualifications in the public domain. Tracking down even the most basic personal information about him was a huge challenge.

What did you most enjoy?
The fact that it gave me an opportunity to read widely and deeply about the history of the Congress party and the personal histories of the members of the Nehru-Gandhi family during my research for the book.

What are the specific challenges while writing political non-fiction? Is it tougher to write an engaging work of non-fiction than fiction?
Having never dabbled with fiction, I wouldn’t know. Archival material of any kind on key political figures is extremely hard to come by for researchers like me. There is no culture of record-keeping in this country. Political correctness is institutionalised, and the deference of partymen towards figures of authority makes it very difficult to get an objective assessment of protagonists.
Not many attempt to write good political biography in India. Why?
It is far easier and lucrative to write hagiographies than good biographies. Also, there is the fear of offending those in power.

Do you think India is a good place in which to practice the art of non-fiction?
Absolutely. There is no dearth of subjects in this country.

Tremendous amount of research has gone into your book. Tell us about your writing process.
I’m very keen on making copious notes. I leave very little to memory. I would write down all my impressions about the people and places and refer to my handwritten notes while writing. There were several hundred pages of photocopies of other books I referred to. I have the habit of having all my reference material right next to me while writing.

Who is the reader you had in mind while writing?
I wanted the book to be accessible to someone like my mother who had no idea how the wheels of politics move.

What are you working on now?
Although I haven’t yet zeroed in on the subject, I am fascinated by the political events of the 1990s. There is plenty of academic output about caste politics and communalism, but there only a handful of journalistic accounts that recreate some of the key events.